Coupling
by ThnksFrThMmrs87
Summary: Hawkes and Danny are sure of it, and Stella and Don have to consider that there may be a reason for people thinking they're a couple


Note From The Author—This occurred to me when I was watching an episode the other day. I started thinking about the fact that people have mistaken Flack and Stella for a couple more than once, so I decided I needed to write something. Enjoy.

Disclaimer—I don't own the characters of CSI: NY

It was somewhere around noon when Stella and Flack walked into the upper class Manhattan bakery. It was storming like it would never stop outside and they both brushed at the snow they were covered in, laughing when Flack had to help Stella shake it out of her hair. As soon as they could, they both looked around at the expensive displays and cakes and couldn't help but shake their heads a bit. It was one thing to make sure you had a beautiful wedding, it was quite another to pay upwards of two thousand dollars for a cake.

They didn't have long to look around before they were approached by a tall, lean man with a slight Italian accent. "Oh, you two are my noon appointment, yes?"

Stella shook her head. "No, we're not."

"Are you sure?"

Don flashed his badge. "We're sure. NYPD, we need to speak with the owner."

The older man immediately straightened up. "Is there a problem officer…?"

"Detectives Don Flack and Stella Bonasera; we need to ask you a couple of questions about an employee."

It was over an hour later before they managed to make it out of the bakery, Mr. Amoretti was very talkative. He also insisted that they take two slices of cake, one of which Flack somewhat gleefully ate on the ride back as Stella drove. They talked over the case as she drove, but by the time they got back they still didn't have any better ideas.

Back in the lab they rounded up Danny and Hawkes to see if they had come up with anything. They went through what had happened at the bakery and Hawkes couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, you mean this guy thought you were a couple too?"

"What do you mean, too?" Flack asked.

Danny spoke up. "Come on, you mean to tell me you've never noticed that?"

"No," Stella said before taking a sip of the tea she was holding.

"Guys, people do it all the time. Someone did it today, and that guy at that hotel last week thought the same thing."

Hawkes nodded. "Plus, you told us that the guy at the spy car place seemed to think that you were looking for a car together."

"And that lady a couple years back thought you were a couple at that one party thing," Danny pitched in.

"Those aren't the only times it's happened either."

Flack held a hand out. "Point taken, but it's probably just a coincidence."

"Really guys," Stella added. "It's not like it means anything."

Both Danny and Hawkes looked somewhat doubtful. "If you say so guys, but just keep in mind that there may be a reason for it," Hawkes told them.

Evidently the subject was closed, because they all moved back to the topic of their case and after a few minutes they had some rough ideas of what could have been going on. Then it was just a matter of actually finding the evidence they needed to prove their suspicions.

By the end of the day Stella and Flack were both frustrated and tired by their completely fruitless shift. In the end, they decided the best thing they could do was find food and a drink, not necessarily in that particular order; so as soon as they were off the clock they headed for a pizza parlor pretty much equidistant between their places.

Before long they each had a beer and a pizza between them. Stella had picked at a salad, and the majority of it sat by her left hand, having been abandoned the moment she could get her hands on a slice. Ravenous, Flack had rolled his sleeves up and they both dug in.

"I've been thinking about what Danny and Hawkes were saying earlier today," he commented.

She nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"They're right you know; it happens pretty often."

"I've noticed," she said with a smile.

Don laughed. "I wonder why it is."

Stella's eyes caught his. "Must be that we just look good together."

"Must be," he responded quietly.

She took another bite of pizza, her eyes narrowing when he started to laugh. "What?" she asked after she swallowed. "Come on Don, what?"

"Hey, you're the one who wanted extra sauce," he said with a lopsided grin.

"Great," she sighed, reaching for a napkin. She was amazed when his hand reached out and stopped her.

He shook his head, almost not believing what he was about to do, but he spoke again nonetheless. "Let me."

She saw it coming, and she felt her heartbeat speed up as he leaned across the little table they were sharing. It was slower than she expected, and more devastating to her system than anything could have prepared her for. It worked at her defenses until she let go and melted into him, the pair of them coming together perfectly as her mouth opened to him and urged the kiss deeper.

He felt as if he was drowning. He was surrounded by her, lost in the heady scent that was uniquely her, something airy and sweet that made his head spin. Feeling the breath steal from both of them he pulled back, kissing the very corner of her mouth once before he completely broke contact. His forehead dropped gently to hers and Stella kept him anchored with a hand at the nape of his neck.

"Hell of a way to get rid of a smear of pizza sauce," he told her.

Stella let the giggle bubble up with no reservations, pulling back so they could see each other clearly. "I'll say. We're quite the pair."

"Yeah we are; guess it's only fair that we give the Doc and Danny a shot at proving their theory that people always thinking we're a couple has been hint or something."

She leaned back and looked at him with a grin on her face that was edging towards wicked. "We're nothing if not fair."

His grin matched hers as he leaned forward as if to tell her a secret. "Stell?"

"Yeah?" she asked, leaning in to bring their lips a breath away.

Flack was whispering when he spoke again. "I think you've got some more sauce there on your lip."

"Well, you'd better get it for me then."


End file.
